Pinnipeds - Ringed seals (Phoca hispida)
The ringed seal is the smallest and most common seal in the Arctic. Their coat is dark with silver rings on their back and sides with a silver belly. They remain in contact with ice most of the year and pup on the ice in late winter-early spring. In years of extensive ice coverage, they are found throughout the Beaufort, Chukchi, and Bering Seas, as far south as Bristol Bay. Adult ringed seals are generally 1.1 to 1.5 m with a weight of 50 to 70 kg. Pups are born in snow-covered caves on ice floes, a birth habitat unique to ringed seals.
NMML researchers track Ringed seals with satellite-linked transmitters to understand their habitat ranges throughout the year.
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